Kayla Thornton leads Valkyries past Caitlin Clark, Fever in WNBA

Kayla Thornton scored a team-high 16 points and WNBA debutant Chloe Bibby added 12 off the bench as the Golden State Valkyries stunned the Indiana Fever 88-77 on Thursday night in San Francisco, holding Caitlin Clark to a season-low-tying 11 points.

In her first career appearance in San Francisco, Clark struggled mightily, shooting just 3-of-14 from the field and missing all seven of her 3-point attempts - the worst perimeter shooting performance of her young WNBA career.



Indiana, led by interim coach Austin Kelly and powered by Aliyah Boston’s 17 points, built a 13-point lead as they sought their fifth win in six games. But the Valkyries clawed back, closing the gap to 59-55 after three quarters and then taking control in the final period.

Tiffany Hayes gave Golden State the lead for good with a layup at the 8:00 mark, making it 62-61. The Fever pulled within four, but momentum swung decisively when Bibby grabbed an offensive rebound off Thornton’s missed free throw and kicked it back to Thornton, who drilled a momentum-shifting 3-pointer.


Clark briefly kept Indiana close with her third basket, trimming the deficit to 72-70 with 4:12 left, but the Valkyries responded with a decisive 9-0 run. Monique Billings kickstarted the surge with a putback layup after tracking down her own missed 3-pointer.

Hayes finished with 14 points and a team-high five assists, while Veronica Burton and Laeticia Amihere chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively. Amihere also added four blocks as the Valkyries secured their fourth win in five games.

Boston paired her 17 points with a game-high 12 rebounds and three blocks for Indiana. Kelsey Mitchell scored 16, Natasha Howard added 13, and Clark contributed nine assists and seven boards despite her shooting woes.